


The good son

by fairfaxphoenix



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 12:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairfaxphoenix/pseuds/fairfaxphoenix
Summary: Regulus Black grew up torn between the decision of being a good son and being a good brother. But as he grew older, that decision was slowly made for him until there was only one way for him to go.





	The good son

_1965_  

  
Regulus loves his big brother Sirius. Sirius is only a bit older than him, but he is much bigger and smarter than Regulus is. He always knows where Mother keeps the biscuits, no matter how well she hides them, and he always has the best games. Regulus always asks him to play and Sirius never says no, even if he has work to do with his tutor and gets in trouble afterwards.

But above all, his big brother Sirius is the bravest boy in the entire world -Regulus is sure of that. Sirius is not afraid of anything, not even of Father when he gets angry for something Regulus did or Mother when they stay up playing games past their bedtime and don’t let her sleep with their noise.

And Sirius is not afraid when they have to go to auntie Lycoris’ funeral and all their family is there, standing tall in their long black cloaks and looking at him and Regulus as if they might grab their wands and make them go boom if they don’t behave properly.

Regulus doesn’t really remember auntie Lycoris, but Sirius says she’s been to their house a couple of times and that she wasn’t so bad. All he knows is that she was old, because now she is _dead_ and only old people can be dead. Sirius told him.

He doesn’t want to see her. Mother said they have to because good boys pay respect to people who are dead and Regulus likes to be a good boy -Mother gets really happy when he is, and she hugs him and kisses his head. But when they enter the room where auntie Lycoris is, it smells funny - _bad_ funny, like when he leaves food in his room and then forgets it- and Regulus needs to leave or he’s going to be sick.

He looks at Mother, but she’s talking to other grown ups and Regulus knows he’s not supposed to interrupt specially if it’s to tell her he doesn’t want to do what he’s been told.

His eyes get watery and he’s about to cry when a warm hand hold his. His big brother Sirius, _brave strong Sirius,_ is standing next to him smiling and just that makes Regulus feel better already.

“Want me to go with you?”

He nods and walks down the room squeezing his brother’s hand, and Sirius never complains if he’s holding too tight. Auntie Lycoris looks strange, like she’s sleeping but strangely. Her mouth is crooked to the side and her skin is all pale like she is very scared.

“You don’t have to touch her if you don’t want to, Regs” Sirius whispers but Mother said they have to pay their respects _properly_ and Regulus doesn’t want to upset her so he leans forward and pats her hand, stiff and strangely cold.  

Sirius walks him outside the room before the tears escape his eyes, and hugs him as he sobs in the hallway.

“I’m sorry, Sirius”, he manages to say when he notices his brother’s shirt is wet because of him.

Mother always says that he has to be strong and that only babies cry in public, but Sirius jud holds him tighter without saying a word until all Regulus can smell is his clothes.

“Let’s go, I’ll show you a new game.”

Regulus nods and smiles timidly, and Sirius takes him to the garden of the house. It’s a big garden, with big trees and flowers all around. He wishes they’d had a garden at home, but Mother and Father would never let him climb the trees anyway.

“I’m a tickle monster, and I’m going to eat you!”

Regulus laughs and tries to escape, but his big brother is much faster than him and before he can get away Sirius is on top of him tickling him until he cries, and they laugh and laugh in the grass.

He is still laughing when Mother steps outside and grabs his arm.

“What are you doing? This is a _funeral,_ I told you to behave”.

Regulus lowers his head and hurries behind Mother, only stopping when Sirius steps in front of them.

“It was my fault, Mother. I told Regulus to come play outside with me, it was my idea”.

 

Mother must have have been very angry because they went home right away after that and she didn’t say a word to them the entire ride.

Regulus was told to go to his room right away, and Sirius stayed in the entrance with her as he does when he’s been bad. Regulus was bad as well but he almost never gets punished by Mother and Father. Father says it is because Sirius is the older brother and it’s his job to teach Regulus how to behave, and it must be true because Sirius never says anything to defend himself and he never asks Mother to punish Regulus as well.

 

That night, he stays up for as long as he can but Sirius doesn’t come to his room to read him a story from the book he’s reading with his tutor like he always does.

Kreacher takes aways his toy wand that Regulus likes because it glows like Father’s, and tells him that Mother will be angry if he doesn’t go to sleep so he closes his eyes really tight until he drifts off.

In his dreams, auntie Lycoris is surrounded by people who look like her, all pale and dry skin, and they reach to him with their mouths open and their fingers cold and hard like metal.

Behind him, Sirius screams and begs but Mother is holding Regulus’ hand and doesn't let him turn around. His brother is calling his name and he struggles trying to get free, but her Mother raises her want high and mutters some words as his brother’s cries get louder and louder and louder until it’s all he can hear.

He wakes up in the middle of the night, alone, and clutches his pillow close to him. Tomorrow, he’ll be stronger like his big brother and won’t let Sirius take the blame for the thing he does, and he won’t let Mother hurt him. And he will tell Sirius to be a good boy like Regulus is. It’s not hard, he just needs to do as Mother says and be really quiet when he’s not being spoken to.

Maybe he’ll show him a new fun game that won’t make Mother angry and there will be no screaming downstairs after Regulus is sent to his room.


End file.
